Gate-operating mechanism



.|. LIND.

l(MTE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION F.|LE`D1 AUG. 6. i920.

Patented June 21, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IHM@ ,NN

UNITED STATES JOHN LIND, OF NEAR TRAKEAN, IDAHO.

GATE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

T0 allwhom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, JOHN LIND, a citizen of the United States residing near Trakean, in the county of Clearwater and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Operating Mechanisms; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to gate-operating and locking mechanisms. u 0

One object of this invention is to generally improve upon devices of this character by providingl an improved and exceedingly convenient operating structure which is exceedingly strong and durable consistent with comparative lightness and excessive ease of operation, and which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

A furtherv object is to provide an improved operating and locking mechanism which is operable by a person in a conveyance or at a distance from the gate, to open the gate to its fullest extent, and is also conveniently operable by a pedestrian or equestrian directly at the gate, for opening the gate only asufficient distance to permit thepedestrian or equestrian to pass ytherethrough. Y

,A further object is to provide improvements including a yielding detent for stopping and holding certain operating and locking members of the gate when the gate is in a partly open orapproximately h alf open position, to prevent accidental locking of the gate in this half open position.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out or implied in the following details of description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the gate locked in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the gate partly open.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View illustrating a fragment of the gate and the locking mechanism in the position for holding the gate open. l l Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail Vperspective view illustrating the spring-pressed keeper and the devices which co-act therewith to hold the gate partly open. y

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective detail Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

Application led August 6, 1920. Serial No. 401,639.

view illustrating the pivotal connections of portions of the operating and locking mechanism connected to the pivot on which the guiding roller is rotatable.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating one of the sheave wheels in engagement with the upper and lower track bars of the gate.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which similar reference characters correspond with similar parts throughout the several views, the gate is generally indicated by the numeral 1, and this gate is not specifically described in this application, being the subject matter of my co-pending application No. 327,852, iled Octoberl 2, 1919. lt is explained, however, that the gate includes a pair of track-members 2 and 3. The supporting and guiding means for the gate includes posts 4 and 5, wheels 6 and their pivots 7. A post 8 is provided with means to engage the front end of the gate and hold it against lateral movement.

A bearing member 9 is secured to the upper track-member 2 and has a link 10 and actuating lever- 11 pivotally secured thereto. The lever 11 has two Vsimilar and oppositely extending arms each provided with a lateral extension or shoulder 12. An arm 13 of the lever 11 extends substantially atright angles to a line passing through the shoulders 12. The arm 13 depends from the pivotal portion of the lever 11 and has an actuating rod 14 pivotally connected to its lower end. A bearing 15 is secured to the lower trackmember 3 and supports the front end of the rod 14. A handle 16 is formed or selcured on the frontend of the rod 14, adjacent to the front end of the gate, so that a pedestrian or equestrian may easily reach this handle 16 and open the gate in a manner which will be understood after considering the following description. i

A link or lever 17 has one end pivotally connected to the link or lever 10, its other end being pivotally connected to the post4,

through the medium of a bracket 18 on this post, and the pivot 7 of one of the sheave wheels 6, is also mounted on this post, the other sheave wheel 6 being mounted on the post 5 which is provided especially for supporting' this sheave wheel. The post 4 not only supports the front sheave wheel f6- and the bracket 18 to which the locking links 10 and 17 are secured, but it also supports a guiding bar 19 along which a rQiatable ex,-

tension 2O of an operating lever 21 rolls or travels. The rear side of the post 4 constitutes another guide which is parallel with the bar 19 and along which the roller 20 also travels. A link 22 has its lower end pivotally connected to the link 17, and its upper end is pivotally connected to a pivot 23 which constitutes an extension ot the .pivot or axle on which the roller 2O rotates. A link 24 has its lower end secured to the pivot 23, and its upper end is pivotally connected to a lateral or upward extension 25 of anoperating lever 26, the latter extending in the opposite direction from the lever 21. The levers 21 and 26 have posts 27 and 28 as their fulcrums, and depending rods 29 on the ends of the levers 21 and 26 constitute manipulativemeans for operating these levers 21 and 26 in a manner which is well known.

UIt should be understood that the link 22 may be comparatively thin and somewhat yieldable laterally and its pivotal connection Vwith the pivot 23 may be so loose that the necessary angular movement of this link with relation to the length ot the lever 21 is obtained without undue bending or straining of the link or its pivots. lt should be understood that the pivot 23 is an 4entension of the lever 21, and may be formed integrally therewith or secured thereto in any appropriate way. y The sheave wheels 6 are preferably pro,- vided with roller bearings, as indicated at 6a vin Fig. 6, and the pivots 7 may be tormed integrally with plates or disks 7a through which bolts 7b extend, these bolts also extending through the posts 4 and 5 so, as to` verysecurely tix the pivots 7 to their sup,v

ports. 1 Y

From the `foregoing description of. the

structure, it will be seen that the pivotally connected links 10 and 17 form a toggle which not only locks the gate in its closed position` (Fig. 1) and in its open position (Fig. 3) but also co-acts with the manipulative member 16 (through the medium of the -lever 11) and with the manipulative members 29 (through the medium of the overhead levers and the links 21 and 26) for sliding the gate longitudinally to Vits open and closed position as Jfollows.:

Assuming that the gate is in the closed position shown in Fig. 1, the links 10 and 17 arein the position tor locking the gate in the closed position, the pivotal connections of these links beingV substantially alined.

Moreover, it will be seen that the `rear shoulder 12 rests upon the upper track member 2,V The links or levers 10 and 17 constitute agate-shifting device which is operable either by the actuating lever 11 or by thestructure shown separately in Fig. 3. Itwill be seen that it the handle or manipulative 'member 16 ispushed to the right or rearward of the gate, it will cause the lever 11 to raise the link 10 and thereby shorten the distance between the pivots which connect these links to the gate and to the post 4, thereby causing a rearward movement of the gate so that it rolls or slides Valong on the wheels 6 toward its open position, or in the direction in which the handle 16 is be ing pushed. VThe person who is manipulating the handle 16 can easily limit the opening movement of the gate, so Yas to provide suiiicient room tor a person or animal to pass therethrough without opening the gate to its full extent, and this not only saves the time and labor ot fully opening the gate but alsoV saves the gate and operating mechanism Yfrom unnecessary wear. To prevent the links 10 and 17 from falling Jfrom their upright position and locking the gate in the half open position, especial retaining means is provided. rFhis retaining means comprises an arm or extension 30 of the bracket 13, a keeper or retaining leverv 31a retractile helical spring 32, a wheel or de-` tent 33 and the axle or pivot`34, the latter being secured to the link 17 ot the'operating mechanism. rThe lever or keeper 31 is provided with an arcuate or segmental recess or seat 35 that fits over the upper part of the wheel or detent 33 when the link or lever 17 is in its vertical or upright position (Figs. 2 and 4), thereby retaining the levers V10 and 17 in their upright position so long as the gate is half open.' When sufficient momentum or `torce is given to the gate, in

closing or opening, this momentum or torceV carries the wheel or detent 33 'out of the recess or seat 35'. By pushing or pulling the 'gate rearward or forward from its halt- 4opened position, it can be fully opened or closed.

lf the person who wishes to open the gate is 1n a conveyance, or considers it more convenient toopen the gate by means of ,the

tained in this position (Fig. 2) until itis desired to closeV it. )When the gate is `fully opened, as shown in Fig. 3, thelinks 10 and 17 co-act with one another to lock the gate in the open position so that the gate cannot be closed bylitsrebound, by means of a strong wind or by means ot an animal rubbing against the rear end of the gate., A Although I have described this embodiment ot my invention very specifically, it is not intended to limit this invention to these exact details ot construction and arrangement, but changes may be made within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination of a gate, supporting and guiding means therefor, a toggle having pivotal connection with said gate and support, means for operating said toggle from the support, a substantially Y-shaped operating member pivoted on the gate adjacent one of the links of said toggle, the divergin arms of said member carrying laterally d1- rected lingers at their free ends for engagement with said toggle, and a slidable hand operated rod connected with the depending arm of said member.

2, The combination of a gate, supporting means on which said gate is mounted to slide longitudinally toward its closed and open positions, means including levers to operate and lock the gate, controlling means connected to the gate and including a detent, and means including a springpressed keeper supported in position to engage with said detent and co-act therewith for stopping and yieldingly holding one of said levers in a non-locking position.

3. The combination of a gate, means including a post for supporting the gate, a

bracket on said post, a toggle including a link pivoted to said bracket and a link pivoted to the gate, means for causing the first said link to swing over its bracket-connecting pivot and thereby sliding'v said gate toward its open position, a detent on said toggle, and a spring-pressed keeper supported by said bracket and including a detent-engaging portion approximately over said bracketconnecting pivot and being effective to engage and co-act with said detent for controlling said toggle.

4. The combination of a post, a gate supported by said post and movable horizontally, a pair of actuating levers, one of which has a pivotal extension, a roller on said pivotal extension, a link connected to said pivotal extension and also connected to the other one of said actuating levers, a second link connected to said pivotal extension and means operatively connected to said second link and to said gate for moving the latter horizontally, and spaced vertical guide elements on said post, said roller being disposed between and guided vertically by'said guide elements.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN LIND. 

